Enter the Dragon: tens of thousands flock to first Lunar New Year parade in Hong Kong in 5 years
A further 27 local and international groups – from mainland China, the United States, the Philippines and elsewhere – will look to captivate festivalgoers, while the flight crew of Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways, the sponsor of the parade, will deliver the signature dance act.
Cathay float kicks off parade
Kicking off the parade is the float of Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific, with the airline also the title sponsor of this year’s event.
The float features a dragon rising from the auspicious cloud, with a huge head and the dragon’s body is decorated with fan-shaped scales. The design also includes a plane flying over a globe at the back of the float.
The organiser said the design “showcases the convergence of tradition and progress”.
Early birds
Happy to have secured a spot on Nathan Road outside The Peninsula hotel was businessman Raymond Chiu, who arrived at about 5.30pm with his wife and son.
“I’m very excited the parade has resumed after five years,” the 63-year-old said. “Having more events in Hong Kong is what everyone wants to see.”
Chiu has been a keen spectator of the parade and used to buy a ticket for the seated area, but he missed the window to grab a ticket online this year.
“There are more people than I expected, I’m here more than two hours before the parade commences,” he said, who came with his camper chairs.
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First-timer Christie Simpson moved to Hong Kong from the UK two weeks ago for a teaching position and arrived in Tsim Sha Tsui at about 5.45pm.
“I want to see the culture, the dressing up, the float, the colours, and the dragons,” the 29-year-old said. “I feel like a big kid.”
Excited about her first Lunar New Year in Hong Kong, she also made it a point to go around the city to look at the festive decorations.
Some MTR exits closed as crowds gather
Crowd control measures are being imposed in Tsim Sha Tsui as crowds gather ahead of the parade.
Rail operator the MTR Corporation announced that five exits in Tsim Sha Tsui and Tsim Sha Tsui East stations – D1, H, R, L3 and L4 – had been temporarily closed as part of crowd control measures.
Parts of Canton Road, Haiphong Road and Nathan Road, as well as the section of Salisbury Road between Chatham Road South and the Star Ferry Pier closed to traffic from 3.30pm. Roads are expected to reopen before midnight.
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Dragon floats
Nine floats – many showcasing the theme of the dragon – will join the extended procession of performance groups, carrying messages of good fortune and health as the city rings in the new lunar year.
The floats, including those by the “Mr Men Little Miss” franchise, Hong Kong Disneyland, Hong Kong Jockey Club and Macau’s Tourism Office, among others, will embark on the same route used in previous parades. They start from the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and head to Canton Road, Haiphong Road and Nathan Road, before ending at the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel and Towers.
Let the show begin
Thirteen local performance groups kicked off the festivities ahead of the procession, with dance, magic and music shows, as well as freestyle football games, to entertain those who arrived early.
Festivalgoers will enjoy the show in slightly warmer weather. According to the real-time weather report, it was 16 degree Celsius around Tsim Sha Tsui at 6.30pm, five degrees higher than the Observatory’s original forecast.